Facts and Frills
by D4shka
Summary: Picks up mid-2nd episode of anime. What if Kuranosuke did kiss Tsukimi and they didn't get interrupted? What if Shu was never in the picture? Cause who needs his grumpy butt anyway. The awkward and slow story of a budding romance.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first fic in almost 10 years! Whoo. Please review and tell me if i should keep going, and what to improve on.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Jellyfish.**

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

He had tried to tell her how he felt, even though he was unsure himself. Somehow, a chance encounter at a pet store had brought him this girl, this nerdy girl with whom he could be himself. It was only the second day he had known her, but he was never really shy about his feelings, so he wasn't surprised when he said it.

She fought and asked and pleaded for him to leave, but he kept showing up, just there, out of the blue.  
She asked him why. Why did he come? Why did he want to come?

He told her, "What a silly question. Because I wanted to see you, Tsukimi".

It was a bold statement, it had slipped out naturally, without first registering in his head. But the words felt so right as they left his mouth that he did not care. He was, however, used to other reactions. Other girls would have swooned if he told them the same; they would have sighed, their eyes fluttering shut, and leaned in hoping for a kiss. But not her. She stared at him with that "deer in the headlights" look, her face slowly filling with blood, until she bounced away to safety.  
He ended up leaving that night with no more progress than before. His heartbeat picked up and matched the rhythm of his heels clicking on the pavement as he strode confidently home.

What could he offer to this girl?  
Sure, he was attractive, he was entitled, and his family was rich. He could bribe people if he really wanted to. But what did that matter, when everyone, including Tsukimi's best friends, thought he was a girl? Dressing up as a girl had been nothing to worry about for him so far, and this was the first time he actually considered the negatives. Sure, it was easier to get his way using this method, and he would never have to worry about having to become a politician (not that the illegitimate child would be expected to take up the family business anyway).  
He forced all thoughts of Tsukimi from his head as he slipped quietly past the gate and made his way to his room. His dreams were filled with jellyfish.

…

The next morning, he went to school. His friends swarmed him, asking about where he had been the day before, asking for fashion tips, trying to make plans, but he blew them all off. It was funny, how you don't realize how miserable you truly are until you find someone who can make you happy. The girls he usually hung around with were pretty and fashionable, but they didn't have a single original thought in their fluffed up little heads. They didn't have a single interest that separated them from each other. In the midst of them, Tsukimi stood out like a beacon. She was creative, she was artistic, and she was passionate about life. Just by looking at the pictures plastered all over her room, he could tell that she was interesting on the inside, and he had quickly grown bored with everything else his life had to offer.  
He ended up leaving half way through last period, changing into his drag outfit for the day, and going over to Tsukimi's.  
As always, his arrival was met with cautious reluctance. The bribe from the night before had clearly worked, but suspicions abounded about why it was he was there. He grabbed Tsukimi's hand and dragged her to her room, swiftly shutting the door. He could tell she was still uncomfortable around him, but was slowly coming to. "Maybe it's the drag that makes her uncomfortable", he thought, and started pulling off his wig and shirt.  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her staring curiously.  
"Oh right. Virgin. I forgot", he thought.  
Her brown eyes darkened a shade, but when he turned to face her, she froze. He felt the waves of panic radiating from her.  
"Tsukimi, don't be afraid of me", he said.  
She replied by hiding behind her hands and asking him to kindly put his shirt back on.  
Curious to see what her reaction would be, he stole forward on his hands and knees, to where she was crouching and leaning up against the door. He slowly moved his face closer to hers. She tensed, sensing his approach.  
Like a panther, he bode his time and waited, until her hand fluttered and both were gently lowered. He took the opportunity to lean forward and gently press his lips against hers.  
Her lips were warm and soft, and he could feel his lip gloss smearing over them. A brief feeling of regret shot through him at being in drag, especially as she quickly became like stone, rigid and unyielding. He tried to coax a response out of her, but it was like she wasn't there anymore. He pulled back, running a hand through his short blonde hair, and couldn't help but think if it would have been different had he not been wearing make-up.  
A few minutes passed before Tsukimi reacted. Once more, she didn't do at all what he expected.

She simply quietly whispered, "Please leave", and shuffled onto the bed, hiding beneath her covers.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I know the last chapter was pretty much the same as the anime, so this chapter begins taking more and more measures away from that, as I'm sure you'd notice. The main difference is the lack of Shu K. because it is my honest opinion that no girl needs a man who is only infatuated with her when she has layers and layers of makeup caked on her face.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or any characters from Princess Jellyfish.**

* * *

Tsukimi laid in bed, hiding under her blankets long after she heard the soft click of the door which signaled that Kuranosuke had left. Her heart was both stopped, frozen from shock, and beating a mile a minute in her chest like it was trying to escape. Why would he kiss her? It couldn't be that he would actually like her, she thought. Maybe he was bored and wanted to see what her reaction would be? Maybe he was just making fun of her, pitying her. She knew that girls like her didn't get kissed, they didn't have boyfriends, and they didn't become princesses.

She could still taste him on her lips, the cotton candy of the lip gloss contrasting sharply with the slightly salty indescribable taste that must be all him.

Tsukimi got up and walked over to the spotted jellyfish tank and pressed her hand against the cool glass.

"Clara, I need your help. Kuranosuke kissed me. He couldn't have meant anything by it, right Clara? I'm sure it was just some stupid joke..." she said. "That's it. Just some stupid joke, of course he didn't mean anything by it. Well, I guess I will just have to keep my distance."

If Clara could have answered, she would have told Tsukimi just how wrong she was.

...

Tsukimi hoped that Kuranosuke would never come back again, but she wasn't stupid. She had asked him many times before to not come over, and he stubbornly ignored all of her requests, so why she had hoped that this time would be different was a mystery even to her. She imagined he delighted in seeing the Amars get uncomfortable and become petrified around his bubbly friendliness and the graceful bounce of his long curls.

So when she shuffled downstairs for breakfast, she was strangely surprised and disappointed to not see him there already, gracefully sipping his tea like she had expected. She shuffled over to the table and plopped down unceremoniously next to the rest of the Sisterhood.

Suddenly, her heart first fell to the pit of her stomach, then rose like it was a helium filled balloon and firmly lodged itself in her throat. A few seconds later, the door was kicked open and a huffing Kuranosuke barged in, shouting something about Amamizukun being torn down for redevelopment. Tsukimi didn't pay much attention to him and tried to focus on her food. However, Kuranosuke kept shouting and waving his arms around until Mayaya became upset, and she had to drag him to the safety of her room.

"What are we up to today, Tsukimi?" Kuranosuke asked, his eyes sparkling in the early morning light that filtered through the windows.

"Well, uhh... Please go home... Like I'm always asking you to... Actually, I'm planning to go out for a little" she mumbled in reply.

"Really! That's unusual. Where are you going? Going shopping?" He volunteered?

"No uhh... Going to an aquarium see jellyfish... "She answered, not meeting his gaze. She knew that her love of jellyfish was unparalleled and almost everybody else in the world felt nothing when looking at those floating blobs of the sea. He quickly shot out of his seat, drawing her eyes to him, and said "Ok! Let's go! I've got nothing better to do today".

No amount of persuasion would seem to deter him either. Not when she said that it was very far away, or that it would expensive, or that it would take all day. Kuranosuke always had a quick reply for her, solutions to every problem she brought up. Tsukimi knew she had no choice. Whether she wanted it or not, Kuranosuke would accompany her.

* * *

As he held her chin in his left hand and applied her eye shadow with his right, Kuranosuke couldn't help but notice how she seemed to shy away from all his movements, more so than usual. Their faces were close together, and he could feel shallow, erratic puffs of breath escape her lips. She was nervous. Knowing that fact just made him smile. Girls were always nervous around him. That is, when he was a boy. But right now, he was dressed as a pretty brunette, and she always felt more comfortable around him when he played at being a princess. "Maybe it's something else", he thought to himself.

When he began applying lip gloss to her lips, he felt her jerk away. She wouldn't look him in the eyes. His thumb began slowly drawing lazy circles on her cheek. He could feel the sudden heat that radiated from her face and he suddenly found himself fascinated by her lips. The gentle swell of her bottom lip; the way they turned up slightly at the corners, so that she was smiling even without intending to. He chanced a glance at her eyes and found himself suddenly drowning in the brown depths. Kuranosuke wanted to get lost in her. His hands itched to grab her and melt into her embrace. The urge was so sudden that he didn't even have a chance to question it. Trapping her eyes with his, he leaned forward.

Only to be brought up short by something impeding his progress. He hadn't realized, but she was by this point, essentially petrified. She had her arms extended in front of her, palms now resting flat against his chest, stopping him from getting any closer. He released her chin, some semblance of coherent thought slowly drifting back to him, and declared that his job was done, they were ready to go.

The entire 30 minute ride to the aquarium, he tried to reason out why it was that he had almost kissed this girl, again.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review so I could get better. Right now I'm just getting back into the groove of fanfic writing so my chapters are kind of short, but I'm trying to update more regularly to make up for it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or any characters from Princess Jellyfish.**

* * *

The car ride passed by quickly, and before she noticed, the driver was opening Tsukimi's door and helping her out. She was still adjusting to wearing the kimono that Kuranosuke and Chieko insisted she wear, so she slowly shuffled towards the main entrance to the aquarium.

Kuranosuke paid for both of their tickets, trying to convince himself the entire time that this was most definitely not a date. In general, he was not one to overanalyze, but for some reason, it seemed important to him to make that distinction. They walked through the entrance and he made a mental note that Tsukimi's face looked even prettier under the soft blue lights cascading around the room.

Although he had convinced her initially to not wear her glasses, she pulled them out now to get a better look. Kuranosuke began walking towards the shark exhibit when he felt her tentatively grab his hand. When he met her eyes, silently asking the question, she replied, "The jellyfish exhibit is this way" and gave his hand a gentle tug.

That day, she was his tour guide. She spouted endless facts about every single jellyfish they had. Normally, he would get bored after a couple of minutes of lectures, but the animated way she kept talking and the way her eyes sparkled when she described the inhabitants of each individual tank kept him enthralled. More often than not, he caught himself looking at her more than at the tanks. Today, she seemed relaxed, normal, and carefree. Kuranosuke could tell she wasn't threatened by him at the moment because she was in her element here. She seemed a completely different person, and he found himself wondering if she was like this all the time with the people she trusted, with the Sisterhood in their Nunnery. He wanted to be someone she trusted.

The barrage of thoughts in his head that revolved around Tsukimi began to scare him and he excused himself to go to the Ladies room. He looked at the pretty brunette girl staring back at him from the mirror and suddenly felt disgusted with himself. He wanted to be more for Tsukimi. He wanted her to hold his hand even though he was a boy.

He wanted to know where he stood with her.

He dragged off his wig, turned on the faucet and began scrubbing his make-up off. When he made it back to Tsukimi's side, she simply continued her informational assault and did not even notice that the girl to her side for most of the day was now a man.

…

Tsukimi suddenly stopped her chatting when she spotted the Japanese nettle tank. It was huge, and filled with dozens of the beautiful white jellyfish with thin red tendrils. Kuranosuke looked at her questioningly, but she just stared at the tank. She brought her hand up and pressed it against the glass of the massive aquarium.

She heard her mother in her head, over and over again. "One day, Tsukimi, I will make you a dress just like this jellyfish." She watched the frilly tentacles of the sea nettle dance in the clear water and imagined herself wearing a pure white dress just like it, at the altar. She saw her walk down the aisle, the frills fluttering in the soft breeze of a warm summer day. She saw her blush as she faced the groom. She saw the smiling faces of her family sitting there on her big day. But even if that would ever happen, there was one problem.

Her mother would never be able to be there. Her mother was dead.

Suddenly, it was like it was that day at the hospital all over again.

"I'll always watch over you from heaven, Tsukimi", she heard her mother quietly say. Would she be proud of Tsukimi now, or disappointed that her daughter had not turned out to be a beautiful princess? Tsukimi would never know, she would never be able to ask.

She felt moisture on her face and realized that her eyes had overflowed. The tears slid down her face in defiance of her wants.

…

Kuranosuke watched the sea nettles in the companionable silence for a few minutes while Tsukimi stood there in silence, but he felt something was wrong. He was standing slightly behind her, but saw the sparkle of a tear in her reflection in the aquarium.

"Tsukimi, is everything ok?" He questioned as he leaned in closer to her.

When she turned to him, those warm brown eyes magnified by tears, he saw pure heartbreak within their depths. She didn't reply, just looked at him while her tears slowly dripped off her chin onto the kimono. Instinctively, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into an embrace. His hand went to the back of her head, and he hugged her tightly, feeling her melt into him. A brief thought of how right it felt filtered through his head and he was suddenly whispering into her ear that everything would be OK. He was there for her.

He was here.

He was holding her, and the smell of lavender that could only be her enveloped and mesmerized him. Tsukimi's body shuddered with sobs. He had never comforted anyone before. Kuranosuke had never realized that no one else had ever been this open with him. No one had ever cried their heart and soul out in front of him. She was letting him in on this personal moment, and he wanted to share back with her. Kuranosuke pulled back slightly, and when Tsukimi met his eyes, his hand grasped the bottom of her chin, lifting it. He slowly leaned in, giving her the opportunity to push him away like she had last time, and finding no resistance, he closed the distance between them and brought his lips to hers.

Her lips tasted of cherry lip gloss and tears.

He saw shock in her eyes, and then reluctant acceptance as she closed them. She was not running from him today. Today, in this moment, she needed comfort, and he was there for her.

He slightly deepened the kiss and tilted his head. A chunk of his blonde hair fell across his face and he broke away from Tsukimi, noticing that she had been holding her breath for the entire duration of their kiss.

She opened her eyes, looked around in panic, and quickly excused herself to run to the bathroom to get cleaned up, leaving him standing there, running his hand through his hair in frustration.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review so I can get better, and feel free to give suggestions as for the direction you want this story to go. I know it's starting off slowly, and I am sorry, but I couldn't see their relationship developing any faster than this. Trust me when I say I'm the first to jump up and down and scream "Just DO IT ALREADY!"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or any characters from Princess Jellyfish.**

* * *

Tsukimi looked at her red rimmed eyes in the bathroom mirror, her make-up running. There was a sparkly smear of sticky red near her mouth, lip gloss inevitably smudged by their kiss. Her brown eyes went wide as she remembered.

She suddenly remembered everything that happened.

Tsukimi thought she must have been having a panic attack to not realize everything that happened, but now, all the sensations flooded through her. She shuddered as she remembered feeling his breath caressing her while he whispered comforting things into her ear. His warm hands were on her, one gently cradling her head, the other resting on her lower back like it had belonged there. The side of his cheek had gently grazed hers. And then.

And then his sure fingers firmly grasped her chin and suddenly he was there, and she was drowning in the smell of him, in the taste of his warm and hesitant lips. She was swept up in the current of his kiss and it scrubbed all unpleasant thoughts from her brain, leaving her numb and tingling.

Tsukimi studied her face in the mirror. She was plain, to say the least. Her eyebrows were wild and her dull black hair looked frizzy and untamable. Her red glasses made her eyes look glassy and vacant. She didn't have the long eyelashes or full lips of the princesses of this world, and the eye shadow Kuranosuke applied to her face earlier only made her look tired now. She set her glasses aside, turned on the faucet and splashed her face with water.

"He must have kissed me to get me to stop making such a scene in public..." Tsukimi thought as she wiped droplets of water off her cheek. Her stomach lurched unpleasantly at the thought, shame quickly sprinting to color her face and neck bright red. The thought that he _wanted_ to kiss her never even crossed her mind.

…

When she came out of the bathroom, she had sufficiently calmed herself down. She was ready to apologize for acting like such a child without freezing up, but she couldn't see Kuranosuke anywhere. There were only four people in this area of the exhibit, a family of three, and a slender short haired blonde who was facing away from her. With a jolt, she realized that it was him. Somewhere between the Aurelia aurita and the Japanese nettle exhibit, Kuranosuke had removed his wig and make-up. Somewhere in the midst of her lectures on the hunting habits of jellyfish, he had discarded his beautiful shield and opened up to her, and Tsukimi realized she had responded to that trust only by silently crying.

As she walked up, she was mesmerized by his quiet grace and beauty. Without drag, he wasn't as flashy and in your face pretty. He was graceful and strong, with high cheekbones and a beautifully sculpted jaw line. His expressive eyes weren't overshadowed by fake eyelashes and layers of mascara.

He sensed her at his side, and turned with an easy smile that didn't quite reach his guarded eyes.

"I'm so sorry… For... Everything…" Tsukimi said, her voice getting quieter and quieter as she spoke.

"No worries." Kuranosuke replied. "Is there anything else you wanted to see here?"

She replied in the negative, and they made their way towards the exit.

On the long ride back to Amamizukun, Tsukimi did something she hardly ever does.

She decided to let Kuranosuke in, if only for just a bit, and she told him about her mother.

When she regretted the decision to do so later that night, laying alone in her bed, she told herself it was because his blue eyes, calm and confident like the sea, had put a spell on her.

…

After that day, life went by as normal, and Kuranosuke noticed that Tsukimi refused to bring up any mention of their Aquarium visit or their second kiss. He tried to tell himself that it meant nothing, and yet, when he came by and took the Amars out to a café, his eyes indescribably drifted to Tsukimi. He was curious about the strange reaction he had to this NEET, but what could he do about it?

Her Sisterhood still thought he was a girl, and Kuranosuke sincerely doubted they would be OK with the hipster girl making moves on Tsukimi.

Eventually, after yet another restless night of being tortured by expressive brown eyes, Kuranosuke decided that the only way to kill this is to see where it goes.

He came up with a plan.

The next morning, he showed up at Amamizukun with fryers for a Flea Market, and the promise to sell things for them there to make money and buy the retro house. That way all the residents of Amamizukun would be able to stay, especially Tsukimi. Of course, none of the Amars were too keen on helping, which was exactly his plan. When they got to the flea market, it was him, Tsukimi, and Chieko. However, as soon as they sold the little Clara doll that Tsukimi had, Chieko became involved in sewing a fresh batch of stuffed jellyfish toys for sale, and Kuranosuke began to slowly put his plan in motion.

He knew Tsukimi was skittish at best. He would have to be cautious. As she sat shuttling patterns and scraps of fabric around, he scooted next to her and "accidentally" rested his hand on top of hers. She glanced at him, and he smiled sweetly in return, suggesting a material pairing to her. Tsukimi visibly relaxed, clearly not seeing his blatant attack for what it was.

A short while later, Kuranosuke was helping by cutting out circular shapes for the jellyfish "skirts", and he reached around Tsukimi to retrieve a fabric scrap, essentially trapping her within the cage of his arms. She stiffened, and he lingered for a few seconds longer than necessary before releasing her, with the fabric he needed in hand.

The entire day was spent with awkward embraces and touches, but if Tsukimi noticed, she hadn't mentioned it.

Kuranosuke declared it a success.


End file.
